Twilight had set a glow from the blinds. Family chattered from beyond my bedroom door. The ending of a music video on the TV signaled the introduction for the next. First, the varied images of a severely hurt soldier came to my attention. Then, the airy string of guitar notes on top of rhythmic pounding surfaced. In my mind, a swarm of emotions and thoughts were present.
I had just been captivated by the art of Metallica's "One."
The pureness of this scenario has been replayed so many times that it is practically etched on to my brain, scarring me with a certain passion for music.
Speaking beyond the terms of the usual awareness of its rarity and often unappreciated nature, metal music showcased a itself as my most treasured finding. Not only did I find myself defending the genre and loving the music, but I discovered a new way of life. One who likes metal often views the world in a different manner. The lens is not clouded by ideals provided by others, but rather shaped upon one's sole discretion. Deeper aspects of life become visible and accessible. One is left to travel a path guided by nothing. Eventually, one will end up in a certain haven. Unfortunately, I took a little detour along the way and sampled other music genres. Thanks to a little online radio station, I got back on track. My path brought me to my haven about two months ago.
I am almost ashamed to admit that it took me nearly two years after my metal finding to discover the wonder of the almighty Death. Yes, "Crystal Mountain" and "Baptized In Blood" had definitely churned their splendor in my ears via satellite and I had seen countless metal heads with the band's logo on black tees. The inclusion of "R.I.P. Chuck Shuldiner" had been viewed in numerous web discussions. All of these things made me aware of Death's power and legacy. However, Death still hadn't "clicked" with me.
Then came the Human album.
"Together As One" was the first number I fell in love with and in it came an array of thoughts and feelings. My praise of the album cover really helps me to describe my observations. There is definitely something magnificent at the ending of the introduction of the song. I detect a sense of bright hues scattered on the rapid playing. It is almost as if the drawing encircling the heads of the figures speak directly for this section in the song. It correlates with the thought-provoking nature of this glorious album. Also, the complete brilliance emitted from the placement of Chuck Shuldiner's lyrics throughout the piece provided even more greatness.
Chuck Shuldiner...
The death of this phenomenal guitar player and vocalist left me with so much inspiration to continue my voyage through metal music. I decided to start blogging the date of his passing, which was December 13, 2001.
Often, I recover something interesting about his impact on the metal community and wish that I had gotten a chance to meet him or see him play during the Human era. At times, I regret not recognizing the talent of Death propelled by Chuck sooner. Perhaps it was just the way I was meant to discover metal...or the way the path was meant to carry me.
R.I.P. Chuck
Thank you for bringing me back to metal.
No comments:
Post a Comment